Paralympic stars get blessing
Team to depart for Brazil on Monday
The athletes who will represent Namibia at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were yesterday given their official send-off by the Namibia Sport Commission (NSC).
The team is scheduled to depart for South America on Monday but with NSC chairman Joel Matheus due to leave the country soon, it was agreed to do the send-off yesterday.
“I’m honoured to be in the presence of the athletes that will represent us in Rio,” Matheus said.
“Qualification is now done and now you have to focus on the task ahead which is to bring medals back home… and to compete to the best of your abilities.”
At the ceremony, Namibia Paralympic Committee (NPC) secretary-general Michael Hamukwaya said they were not sure whether they would be able to send a full complement of athletes after being informed by the International Paralympic Committee that they might have to reduce the number of athletes.
“As you know there is a case involving Russia’s banning and the IPC has told us that we will have to wait on that to finalise our team. So we might have to cut the number of athletes.”
But by yesterday afternoon, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) had upheld the decision to have a blanket ban of Russian athletes following doping allegations.
This means that Namibia will be able to send the full list of athletes, pending official communication, Hamukwaya said later in the afternoon.
Namibia’s team consists of athletes Ananias Shikongo, Elias Ndimulunde, Johannes Nambala, Aloysius Martin, Tobias Moses, Johanna Benson, and Lahja Ishitile, who will compete in track and field events.
The guides are David Ndeilenga, Andre Oberholster, Sem Simanda and Even Tjiuju.
Athletes Ruben Soroseb (powerlifting) and Gideon Nasilowski (swimming) will also form part of the team.
The Paralympic Games start on 7 September and conclude on 18 September.
HECTOR MAWONGA
The team is scheduled to depart for South America on Monday but with NSC chairman Joel Matheus due to leave the country soon, it was agreed to do the send-off yesterday.
“I’m honoured to be in the presence of the athletes that will represent us in Rio,” Matheus said.
“Qualification is now done and now you have to focus on the task ahead which is to bring medals back home… and to compete to the best of your abilities.”
At the ceremony, Namibia Paralympic Committee (NPC) secretary-general Michael Hamukwaya said they were not sure whether they would be able to send a full complement of athletes after being informed by the International Paralympic Committee that they might have to reduce the number of athletes.
“As you know there is a case involving Russia’s banning and the IPC has told us that we will have to wait on that to finalise our team. So we might have to cut the number of athletes.”
But by yesterday afternoon, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) had upheld the decision to have a blanket ban of Russian athletes following doping allegations.
This means that Namibia will be able to send the full list of athletes, pending official communication, Hamukwaya said later in the afternoon.
Namibia’s team consists of athletes Ananias Shikongo, Elias Ndimulunde, Johannes Nambala, Aloysius Martin, Tobias Moses, Johanna Benson, and Lahja Ishitile, who will compete in track and field events.
The guides are David Ndeilenga, Andre Oberholster, Sem Simanda and Even Tjiuju.
Athletes Ruben Soroseb (powerlifting) and Gideon Nasilowski (swimming) will also form part of the team.
The Paralympic Games start on 7 September and conclude on 18 September.
HECTOR MAWONGA
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